A new law should be introduced making it illegal for people to walk on an unlit roadside after dark without some form of reflective clothing, according to an IMO proposal.
Ireland has the third-highest rate in Europe for pedestrian deaths, according to Dr Declan Bedford, a specialist in public health medicine, who proposed the motion. He said the key factors in these deaths were visibility and alcohol. "The aim of this motion is to try and improve visibility and make people responsible for themselves. Drivers are often at fault, but in many cases pedestrians just cannot be seen."
The road fatality rate for pedestrians doubled between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. in winter, he said, and almost a third of them occurred after 11.30 p.m.
A Waterford GP, Dr Cormac MacNamara, said the percentage of pedestrians killed on Irish roads while under the influence of alcohol was "one of the best kept secrets" because of the way autopsies and coroner's courts were conducted. "People refuse to or neglect to wear reflective clothing. The unfortunate driver must bear a huge burden of guilt, grief and blame for the rest of their lives."
Calling for the Garda to be given proper resources to implement the Government's road safety strategy, Dr Bedford said 26,000 people had been killed on Irish roads this century.
"We all know that the gardai find enforcement very hard because of a lack of resources. You are more likely to go fast if you know you are not going to be caught. I travelled the length of the country to get here and did not see one garda," said Dr Bedford. The proposed 20 per cent reduction in fatalities by 2002 would not happen if resources were not given, he said.
Speaking on a motion to instruct local authorities to construct ramps and chicanes on all roads in housing estates under their control, Dr Bedford said 14 per cent of fatal road accidents occurred in built-up areas.